The human skeletal system provides many different and important functions. The skeletal system gives a body its shape, allows people to stand, gives support for movements such as walking, running, and jumping, and protects the various organs. For example, the vertebral column supports the upright position of the person and protects the spinal cord. The ribs protect the lungs and heart. The pelvis protects the intestines.
In addition to support, protection, and movement, bones are also responsible for many physiological processes such as blood cell formation and maintaining blood calcium. Bone marrow, which can be found in certain types of bone tissue, is responsible for the creation of erythrocytes (i.e., red blood cells), leukocytes (i.e., white blood cells), and platelets. Certain bone cells are responsible for maintaining normal blood calcium levels. Calcium is used for muscle contraction, metabolism, nerve impulses, and the formation of blood clots.
Thus, bones play an important role in people's well-being. However, there are few, if any, systems and techniques for objectively measuring the health of bone. In most cases, the determination of the health of a bone is subjective. A physician weighs factors such as the patient's age, whether or not the patient smokes, medications that the patient takes, current or past health problems (e.g., cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes), and so forth. After weighing the factors, the physician develops an opinion of the health of the bone. This opinion is then used to guide medical decisions or actions. For example, if a healthy bone is broken, the doctor may recommend one course of action. If an unhealthy bone is broken, the doctor may recommend a different course of action.
However, different physicians may disagree on the health of the bone since the determination of bone health is subjective. Thus, one physician may recommend one course of action for a patient and another physician may recommend a different course of action for the same patient.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and techniques for making objective measurements for bone so that medical decisions are more consistent with the actual health of the bone.